Welcome to Jewel Ward’s Taming Data Blog

What Is Taming (The) Data (Deluge)?

This “taming data blog” was my recreation; a break, if you will, from the more serious issues of long-term digital preservation and machine-level policy implementation in a data grid that was the focus of my dissertation work.

Currently, the topics on Taming Data blog trend towards “how” someone or some organization disseminated, used, and managed (“tamed”) their data, and I post a related visualization, animation, or video. Short and sweet, both for this writer and any readers.

I designed the Taming Data blog to be an eclectic collection of posts about information systems, aimed at Real People who are experts in other areas. Data can and should be fun, not overwhelming.

So Tell Me About You, Not Just The Taming Data Blog

My name is Jewel Ward and I am the founder of and principal consultant for Impact Zone Consultancy. It is an Information Retrieval company.

I began my career in tech by editing content on Web pages in 1995 at a small start-up. (Yes, the Dark Ages!) Soon, I began to code Web pages and create content. (Yes, I was one of the then “20-somethings” that grew the Web in the 1990s.)

By the early 2000s, I had earned a master’s degree in Information Science and I was one of the first “digital librarians” to graduate.

Why does this matter? Because most materials, such as medical records and baby photos, are “born digital”. They need to be able to last for decades. Some of us can barely find our vacation photos from last year!

Summary of Jewel Ward’s Background

In conclusion, I have worked in multiple industries, from small start-ups to an ISP to a national laboratory to an academic library to a cyber infrastructure development research center to founding my own start up (currently).

While they may seem like very different work environments, all of them involve digital data and information infrastructures and architectures.
—* I really dislike referring to myself in the 3rd Person, but good SEO requires it. Search engines needs to know that “about me” on this blog means “about Jewel Ward”.

SEO and Digital Stewardship Consulting

What Can I Do For You?

I love helping people and organizations “tame their data” by applying my expertise to help them develop and refine their digital presence with SEO and digital stewardship consulting.

By assessing a person or organization’s information technology needs, I provide human solutions to their digital dilemmas.

My expertise includes digital preservation repository standards such as the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) Reference Model (ISO 14721:2012) and the Audit and Certification of Trustworthy Digital Repositories Recommended Practice (ISO 16363:2012).

As of this writing, I am a doctoral candidate in Information and Library Science. My dissertation focuses on “machine-level policy implementation in a preservation data grid”. My CV is available online.

I offer Web site design, set up, testing, hosting and domain registration for individuals and businesses. This may include social media set up and content development, curation, and management, if desired.

As for what I do for fun? I love humor, adventure, wild spaces, wildlife, and surfing.

Taming Data Blog Makes Data Fun!

↓ Taming Data Blog Posts Start Below ↓

If you have a topic you would like to learn more about, send me a note. I will write an article on the Taming Data blog, on the Green Room blog, or find one relevant for your needs (depending on my time, of course).

This is the third WordPress theme I have used for this blog since 2009. I have tried to review most of them and adjust them to this theme, but if you find any errors such as broken links or weird images, please let me know. I appreciate your help.

Hey, folks! I had so much fun with tamingdata that I decided to go into the data business. I created a company called Impact Zone. I will update this blog as I can, but in the meantime, check out my new blog, The Green Room. On that site, you’ll find more directed articles on SEO, …

This image made me think of these lines from Robert Burns’ poem, To A Mouse, On Turning Her Up In Her Nest With The Plough. “The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men, Gang aft agley,” [Modern English translation: “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”] It also reminds me of …

So thrilled to get my first official #business #cards today! I feel even more officially in business now. I cannot wait to get "PhD" after my name in a few months, for many reasons. One reason is because once that happens, @cherrylaurelstudio will #print the #letterpress version of the business cards. Hooray! #Logo and business …